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Chandler Bing
Chandler Muriel Bing (born April 8, 1968) is one of the six main characters in Friends. He has appeared in every single episode of the ten-season run. He is the son of erotic novelist Nora Tyler Bing and cross dressing Las Vegas burlesque star Charles Bing. Story First season Second season Third season Fourth season Fifth season Sixth season Seventh season Eight season Ninth season Tenth season Relationships Monica Geller At the end of season 4, Chandler began a relationship with his close friend Monica Geller in London. They had been friends for some time and had met when Chandler and Ross went to college together. Chandler began dropping hints that he was interested in Monica during the first season. Chandler genuinely increased his efforts in season 3, but Monica thought he was joking and expressed little interest in a romantic relationship. At Ross and Emily's wedding in London, a somewhat intoxicated Monica and Chandler slept together. (A few years later, Monica revealed that she had actually gone to Chandler's hotel room looking to have an encounter with Joey.) They tried to keep their relationship secret from their other friends but they all eventually found out. The two moved in together during the start of season 6 and were married at the end of season 7. Their wedding was officiated by Joey, who was ordained over the Internet. In the final episode, Monica and Chandler (who were unable to conceive) watched as their adopted twins, Erica and Jack, were born, though they had expected only a single child. Chandler has also had many problems with Monica's ex-boyfriend Richard (Tom Selleck), whom he and Joey had briefly idolized before Chandler and Monica started dating, mostly because of Richard's moustache and macho appearance. Monica also sometimes got on Chandler's nerves because of her bossiness, neatness, and overly competitive nature. This caused Chandler to be forced into several situations, such as Monica being unable to throw a game of tennis against Chandler's boss and having to hide the fact that he is actually incredibly good at ping-pong to prevent Monica from ever entering them into doubles-tournaments. In the alternate reality of "The One that Could Have Been" Monica is still fat and Chandler doesn't show much interest in her, but after sleeping together when Monica's current boyfriend gets called out to work during dinner, Chandler still falls in love with Monica and the two end up together anyway. Joey Chandler famously shared an apartment with his best friend Joey Tribbiani. Chandler and Joey's apartment became an important focal point for the series as one of the few meeting areas of the gang. The two formed a close and enduring friendship, and got into many humorous situations. Their adventures included losing Ross's infant son, Ben, on a bus, Chandler's dismay at Joey building an "entertainment unit" which was so big it partially covered both of their bedroom doors, buying a chick and a duck (affectionately named "The Chick and The Duck"), replacing their dining table with a foosball table and spending hours watching Baywatch. A famous running gag suggested them as an old married couple when they argued, with Chandler usually assuming the wife role and Joey – a macho yet gentle ladies' man who would never grow up – assumed the husband role. (Although in one of the episodes where Joey's new roommate Janine is present, Joey takes the more woman-like role of their argument with comments such as "Why would you say that? It's just mean!" and "It's not what you said; it was the way you said it", due to the fact that Janine's feminine qualities are rubbing off on Joey). The two started off on the wrong foot when Chandler was looking for a roommate and Joey came to fill the slot, only Chandler had already chosen a roommate – a photographer with a porn-star sister. But after Mr. Heckles (the grumpy old man who lived in the apartment below Monica and Rachel) told the photographer that he was Chandler's new roommate, the photographer left disappointed and never moved in. This forced Chandler to give the keys to Joey and they found out they had a lot in common – sports and beer. He also intoduced him to watching the women of Baywatch (especially Yasmine Bleeth). Chandler often supported Joey throughout the show, paying the rent, paying for Joey's headshots, and paying for most of the food. However, in the alternate reality of "The One that Could Have Been" these roles are reversed as Chandler struggles with finances while Joey rakes in the money. At one point, Joey even helps out Chandler by allowing Chandler to be his assistant. The two "broke up" temporarily after Joey found success as "Dr. Drake Ramoray" on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives. When "Dr. Drake Ramoray" was killed off and Chandler became freaked out by his new psychopathic roommate Eddie, the two soon moved back in together. Once Chandler moved in with Monica, Joey and Chandler remained close as neighbors instead of roommates. In the final episode, Monica destroyed the foosball table in order to save Chick Jr. and Duck Jr., before she and Chandler moved to Westchester. Despite no longer living in the same apartment block, Chandler and Monica made it known that their new home would have a specially designated 'Joey room' above the garage. Chandler often refers to Joey as a family member, stating to Ross in "The One With Rachel's Other Sister" that if he can't have Emma when Ross, Rachel and Monica died, then he couldn't have Joey. Janice Litman Goralnik neé Hosenstein Prior to his relationship with Monica, Chandler had an off-and on-again relationship with Janice Hosenstein played by Maggie Wheeler, who became a constant recurring fixture in his life. With her big hair, her nasal voice and laugh, and her tendency to say "Oh... my... God!" (with noticeable pauses in between each word and hands flapping in sync) in every conversation, Chandler spent most of his time trying to break up with Janice. After finally breaking up with her in the season 1 episode "The One with the East German Laundry Detergent", Chandler found himself involved with Janice twice more that season and several more times throughout the show. One of Chandler's final attempts to leave her once and for all involved him claiming he was moving to Yemen (address: 15 Yemen Road, Yemen), and then actually boarding a plane and flying to Yemen. (It was not actually his plan to go all the way to Yemen but Janice wanted to see the plane take off as a final goodbye). "I guess I'm going to Yemen! (to a little old lady) When we get to Yemen... can I stay with you?" In a later season, Janice has a fling with Ross, who is horrified when he is accused by her of being too whiny. Ross is worried about telling Chandler this but Chandler is merely amused at first. Then Ross makes a speech about who friends can't go out with and gives an example of "other friends' relatives" and then Chandler, who is seeing Monica secretly at the time, says he is angry about it and that Ross should remember that "he forgave him and also gave him $27." A further appearance comes when Monica inadvertently invites Janice to dinner when she discovers that Monica and Chandler are engaged. This leads to Janice inviting herself to live with them and Monica informing Janice that Chandler still has feelings for her, to force her to leave. Janice does so in surprise and wishes them a lifetime of happiness, although this is tempered when she whispers to Chandler as she leaves "you call me when this goes in the pooper" to a horrified look from Monica. A later appearance from Janice is at the birth of Ross and Rachel's baby Emma, when Janice announces to a surprised delivery room that the baby she is carrying is Chandler's. She cackles hysterically and confesses that it is a joke moments later, pointing out that she and Chandler haven't slept together in years. In the final season, Janice planned to move in next door to Chandler and Monica in Westchester. In order to prevent this, Chandler suggested that they pick up where they left off and that he never stopped loving her (we actually learn her full name at this point). Fearful that they might ruin their marriages, Janice removes her bid on the house, although she does kiss Chandler one last time. Janice has appeared in every season of Friends, except Season 6, where only her voice is heard on a mix tape that she had previously made for Chandler while they were dating, as well as appearing in a clip show. Humor The character of Chandler is noted for his wise-cracks and his sardonic attitude, which provides a defense mechanism. His most famous phrase is the rhetorical question "Could this be any more...?" and is used on the show as a source of humor many times. Some of the humor used by the character on the show includes him describing Rachel's attempts to stop him smoking by throwing away every cigarette he puts into his mouth as "the least fun game ever", quoting A.A. Milne as having said "Get out of my chair, Dillhole" in an attempt to persuade Joey to vacate the chair he'd been sitting in, and his insistence that his surname is Gaelic for "thy turkey's done". His humorous conversations with Phoebe ranged from why Donald Duck wears a towel when getting out of the shower, to why there isn't a superhero called "Goldman" (inspired by Spider-Man). Often, when he and Ross are trying to pick up women, he would be referred to as 'The Funny One'. Throughout the show Chandler claims he started using humor as a defense mechanism when his parents broke up, and tends to make jokes when he's in an uncomfortable social situation. In fact, when Phoebe dates a psychologist named Roger, he states that Chandler's behavior is textbook of someone who does. His co-workers were so used to his sarcastic jokes that any serious comment he made was thought to be another joke. At one point, the Friends even challenged him to not make fun of his friends for an entire week as his New Year's Resolution; this proved difficult when, among other things, Ross started dating a woman named Elizabeth Hornswoggle. He eventually broke down and sarcastically demanded "What, are you dating a character from Fraggle Rock?" In season 9, Chandler became jealous of Monica's new chef, Jeffrey, because she claimed that he was 'the funniest guy in the world.' He told Joey about the situation, and he replied, 'but funny's your thing!' Homosexual innuendo Chandler often found himself in difficult situations or making statements that made him sound homosexual. His friends and co-workers described him as having a certain "quality" that made people think he might be gay. He also often had long "gay" hugs with Joey. At one point he entered a room full of the Friends and declared, "Well, don't we look nice all dressed up? ...It's stuff like that, isn't it?" Once when he entered the apartment with Joey and Ross, the girls asked the men who they'd rather be with if they had to date each other. While Joey and Ross refused to answer, Chandler abruptly replied "Joey" then recoiled in embarrassment when everybody looked at him in shock. In the series 3 episode 'The One With Joey's New Girlfriend', Chandler invites Kathy to sit in the canoe with him, and asks her whether she would rather sit in the bow or the stern of the boat, Kathy replies saying she doesn't have a preference and asks Chandler which he prefers, to which he replies 'I like it in the stern.. (long pause) .. of the boat!'. In another episode, when Phoebe is wondering whether to propose to Mike, Chandler says "if I were a guy... did i just say 'if I were a guy?'" The show's creators were actually considering making him homosexual at the beginning of the series, but ultimately decided not to. The creators had Chandler revealed that he is, in fact, straight in the eighth episode of the first season, "The One Where Nana Dies Twice", when a colleague of his at work wanted to arrange a date with another man, thinking he was gay. He tells his friends about this, but he soon realizes that they also thought he was gay. After Chandler played a prank on Ross by posting on their college website that Ross had sex with dinosaurs, Ross created a page for Chandler and put on it that Chandler was "as gay as the day is long" as well as supplying digitally edited images of Chandler with a policeman. Many of the alumni congratulated Chandler on revealing this fact. As a retort, Chandler posted on Ross' page that he had died. Another instance which insinuated Chandler's homosexuality was when Ross exposed Chandler's kiss with a man to Monica. Ross had stated "Now, Chandler isn't the type of guy who goes into a bar and kisses girls," placing an emphasis on girl which caused Monica to scream, "You kissed a guy?!" to which Chandler replied, "In my defense, it was very dark, and he was a very pretty guy!" Much of Chandler's sexual ambiguity stems from his childhood, as do other personality traits such as smoking and resorting to humor. On Thanksgiving when Chandler was nine, his father announced that he was a homosexual and that he was getting a divorce from his wife, because he would "rather sleep with the house-boy than her." The house-boy says, "More turkey, Mr. Chandler?" in a very feminine voice right after this announcement. Charles Bing later moved to Las Vegas where he opened up an all-male burlesque called 'Viva Las Gaygas,' featuring such musical numbers as "It's Raining Men", where he became a crossdresser named Helena Handbasket (played by Kathleen Turner). Chandler also states to Monica that when he was growing up... he played the one on the far left. As a result of this, Chandler hates Thanksgiving and refuses to eat any traditional Thanksgiving food. Chandler also highlights this as the point where he began to use humor as a defense mechanism and also started to smoke (despite his young age). Chandler himself is often mistaken for being gay by friends, colleagues and, most importantly, women. Further amusement emerged when Chandler began listening to a self-help hypnosis tape designed to prevent him from smoking. Unfortunately the tape was designed for females and Chandler came under the suggestion of being a 'strong successful confident woman.' This manifested itself in Chandler applying ChapStick like a woman applying lipstick and blotting with a tissue, and emerging from the shower with a towel around his bosoms and a turban on his head. He also tells Rachel that she is wearing a "stunning blouse". Eventually Joey overhears the tape and tampers with it, recording a message within it suggesting that Chandler should make him "...a cheese sandwich everyday..." and buy him "...hundreds of dollars worth of pants." "Statistical analysis and data reconfiguration" Chandler worked as an IT Procurement Manager with the aforementioned specialization, a job which he thoroughly loathed. It remains a running joke through most of the seasons that no one quite knows what he does. His friends, in a trivia game, could not guess his job in one instance, with Rachel hysterically calling him a "transpondster." Joey once said "Jeez, Chandler, you call yourself an accountant?", to which Chandler incredulously replied, "No!" Everyone else would go on to admit that they had no idea what he really did for a living. Monica admits several times that she doesn't pay attention when he talks about his work, but finally learns what he does when he quits in season 9 — she calls it Statistical Analysis And Data Reconfiguration. To which Chandler looks at Monica and asks: "I quit and you learn what I do?" (but he does mention his job title in "The One with the Cooking Class," (season 8), a job which inspired Chandler's oft-referenced office slang word "WENUS" (Weekly Estimated Net Usage Systems), as well as the "ANUS" (Annual Net Usage Statistics)). Because of this job Chandler appears to be the most financially well off among the six friends for the most part of the series and is also shown to hold a position of authority in his company. However, Chandler was unable to simply quit his job as it was his nature to avoid ending anything forcefully, be it his job, a relationship, or even his membership with a gym. Chandler tried to quit his job in season 1, but was lured back by a huge raise and a yearly bonus structure. Eventually he does finally quit after accidentally agreeing to work in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On Christmas Day, Chandler quits his job in Tulsa so that he can fly home to New York to be with Monica. Monica helps Chandler secure a job in advertising. Much to Chandler's dismay, the job is as an intern. He soon secures a full-time job in the business. In an alternate reality storyline during the show ("The One that Could Have Been"), Chandler did have the guts to quit his job and worked as a freelance writer, specializing in comics. Production * In a crossover, Chandler Bing appeared in Caroline in the City, the main character of which was introduced in an episode of Friends. * Chandler has the last line spoken by a cast member of the series. He says "Where?" when the others suggest to go get coffee for a last time. * John Bennett Perry, the real-life father of Matthew Perry, appeared in "The One with Rachel's New Dress" as the father of Rachel's boyfriend at the time, Joshua. * The name Chandler is actually named for an archaic trade – a chandler was a candlemaker. * In the BioWare Role-playing game Jade Empire, during a side quest a man called "Chandler Ling" is used as a plot character framed for a robbery; obviously as a reference to Chandler Bing.